Infant Massage
A touching moment… Embrace your child and celebrate the benefits of bonding and touch.
These sessions were developed after training with the International Association of Infant Massage and Infant Massage USA (US Chapter). They are designed for parent(s), grandparent(s) or other caregivers who want to encourage love and bonding with their babies, through infant massage. In either individual or group sessions we will review a full body massage for the infant, the amazing benefits of massage, and suggestions for bonding and fully enjoying each others’ love. Group sessions provide a fully supportive environment for additional sharing and learning from one another. Classes are best designed for infants between the ages of two months and crawling, but can be adapted to older/younger children.
Benefits: Over the years, research has shown that infant massage has many benefits. These include (but are not limited) to:
Stimulation: necessary for overall healthy development of every system of the body, including the digestive system, immune system, nervous system (brain development), language development, physical growth, and more
Relaxation: helps to relieve tension (especially after the introduction to a new world), improves sleep patterns (increasing infant’s ability to sleep through the night), improves ability for infant to calm itself (self-regulation), and decreases levels of stress hormones
Relief of Physical Discomfort: Gastrointestinal problems, gas, colic, constipation and elimination, excess mucus, growing pains, muscular tension and more.
Nurturing / Bonding: Touch is crucial to the bonding process. Touch assists in the communication process, and research indicates that it leads to a better established child, leading to positive benefits throughout the lifespan.
Special Needs: Infant Massage may play a crucial role to the child with special needs, including: adoption (to enhance bonding), substance abuse and drug exposed babies, premature babies, HIV infection, developmental delays, neglected/abused infants, and depressed infants (and mothers).
What to Expect During Infant Massage Instruction:
I will demonstrate on a doll, while you practice on your infant. If a partner is joining you, they can practice on a doll (which I provide), so that you both become familiar with the strokes and massage routine. All you need is a towel, pillow, and your baby! You will receive free massage oil, and a free book if you attend all 5 weeks of instruction.
Book: Infant Massage: A Handbook for Loving Parents, by Vimala McClure, Founder of the International Association for Infant Massage.
The classes work best as a series, but can be offered as individual sessions as well. Classes are approximately one hour long and include relaxation techniques and wonderfully supportive group conversation.
Please click on the link to the left for scheduled classes, or contact me if you are interested, so I can begin to form a new class. If you have lots of friends with little ones, and room in your home / access to a community space, you can put together your own series, and you will receive your classes for free (with four paying families)!
Massage instruction as a group works best with children from the ages of two months to crawling (before they can crawl away from you!) but, it can be easily adapted to newborns (even instruction for massage of premature babies that may still be in the hospital), toddlers, or those with special needs. Please inquire about individual sessions.
Don't forget... gift certificates make an ideal and unique shower gift!!!
The International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM), headquartered in Sweden, promotes nuturing touch and communication through training, education and research so that parents, caregivers and children are loved, valued, and respected throughout the world community. www.iaim.net
Infant Massage USA is the official US Affiliate of the IAIM. They promote nurturing touch through the training and certification of Parent Educators, and classes and one-to-one instruction for parents and full time caregivers. www.infantmassageusa.org